


Hey, We Don't Have To Choose

by Duck_Life



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, Happy Ending, Movie: Descendants 2, Multi, OT3, Royalty, True Love, uma's my wife but this is an au where she doesn't show up at cotillion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 18:59:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11766300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: Ben has two ladies of the court.





	Hey, We Don't Have To Choose

Ben and Evie go together to get Mal back from the Isle. Mal doesn’t get to see Evie, stressed but smiling as she dresses Ben up like her very own doll, or Ben, eyes shining as he hastens to follow every instruction Evie gives about fitting in among villains. 

They talk to Mal, separately and then together. Ben begs her to come home, tells her he loves her and he’s sorry. Evie holds her hand and tells her that best friends means no amount of distance can separate them, and that she’s sorry, too, for not seeing the little rips and tears, for ignoring Mal’s pain. 

The thing is that Mal doesn’t blame them, never will, so their apologies kind of fall flat. She’s determined to remain on the Isle until they team up, reminding her of all the opportunities and the things she can be on the Isle, reminding her how much they both care about her. And Mal’s big eyes get even wider when they say that, and she almost looks scared. 

Mal grew up learning that love was a way to manipulate someone, and now she feels like being loved is proof that she’s as manipulative and cruel as her mother. Evie knows this, and Ben’s learning. 

They finally wear her down, and she’s back in Auradon with them that night. “I feel so stupid,” she confides to Ben, tucked into his four-poster bed with him. She woke up and needed something, someone, a warm body, and crawling into bed with Evie has begun to feel like a habit she needs to quit. For every piece of Ben she gets, she feels she has to let go of a little piece of Evie. “I feel so stupid. I’m like a little kid who ran away from home.”

Ben smiles sadly at her. “It’s nice to hear you call Auradon home.” 

Home doesn’t always have to be a place. Before she knew any better, home for Mal was Mom, home was stale bread and gritty coffee and taking care of herself because no one else was going to take care of her. 

Now, home is Ben sticking his quill between his teeth while he thinks and winding up with ink on his lip. And home is Evie, seeing this and casually wiping away the ink with her thumb. Home is Ben bringing her a tub of neopolitan ice cream but it’s just strawberry because he and Evie already ate all the chocolate and vanilla. Home is Ben. And home is Evie. 

“Do you want to cancel?” he asks her quietly.

She makes a soft, choked sound. “What?”

“Cotillion,” he elaborates, like she just didn’t understand what he meant. “Do you want to cancel Cotillion?”

He’d really do it. After all the months of planning, he’d cancel at the last minute. For her. 

“I can’t,” she sputters. “You’ve been looking forward to it, I know you have. And all the planning and designing, the dancing, the party, it makes Evie so happy. I couldn’t do that to you guys.” 

Ben doesn’t react. His body feels warmer than hers. “What would make you happy?” 

She doesn’t need to think about it. “You. Just… being with you.” She doesn’t say,  _ Both of you.  _

* * *

 

Mal walks down the steps in that gorgeous gown with everyone’s eyes on her, and it’s a miracle she doesn’t trip. Maybe someone had the forethought to enchant her heels or something. She gets past the last step and looks around wildly for a friendly face. 

“You look amazing,” Jay says, leading her toward the floor where they’re all congregated, Carlos and Lonnie and Jane. 

“Thanks,” she says, her voice thin and high. “I kind of feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

“Just blame it on seasickness,” he grins. It’s good to have her friends there with her, but Mal’s very conscious of the fact that someone’s missing. Evie worked so hard on her dress, and now she’s not even here to see it. 

Lumiere announces “King Benjamin,” and Mal watches as he descends the stairs, beaming and looking amazing with the crown shining on his head. He reaches her and they all bow, and then he takes her hand and kisses it. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she whispers, trying not to giggle in her nervousness. 

Ben straightens up so he can look at her evenly. “Mal, I’m sorry I didn’t have more time to explain. But I have a surprise for you.” 

“What?” 

Ben points to the stairs, and nods to Lumiere. “And now,” Lumiere says, looking a little awkward but pleased nonetheless, “I have the honor of announcing King Ben and Lady Mal’s lady, Lady Evie.”

Mal gasps and doesn’t have time to catch her breath because then Evie’s there, walking gracefully down the stairs like she was born to do it. With her hair pinned back and her gossamer cape draped over one shoulder, she looks absolutely regal. And stunning. Mal’s heart thumps in her chest.  _ Ben and Mal’s lady _ , that’s what Lumiere called her. What did Ben tell him? 

Ben keeps smiling at her and smiling at Evie, beautiful Evie, his other lady of the court, her best friend. And Mal gets it.

“How did you know?” she whispers, needing to lean on him as she watches Evie’s dazzling smile get closer and closer.

She can feel Ben smiling even more beside her. “Did you really think you were the only one who loves her?” 

Evie finally reaches them then and it’s like Mal can’t reign in all her emotions. She’s crying and laughing and tugging both Evie and Ben in toward her like she can’t get enough. Ben kneels down and kisses the back of Evie’s hand, and it’s like the day they met but  _ so _ much better. 

Ben dances with Mal and Mal dances with Evie and Evie dances with Ben and the music plays on, all of them laughing and smiling and having the time of their lives. When Ben unveils his gift to them, an enormous stained glass portrait of Mal and Evie, it brings half the crowd to tears. Evie’s pleased to see that he portrayed Mal with her purple hair and vivid green eyes. 

The night’s perfect.

At one point, Mal starts cracking up because she overhears Fairy Godmother talking to Jane. “So… they’re  _ both _ with Ben?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Jane says. “It’s like, Ben is Mal’s boyfriend but he’s also Evie’s boyfriend. And Mal and Evie are girlfriends.”

“So the king has two ladies of the court,” Fairy Godmother muses. “Hm! That’s nice.” 

Ben stands by the railing of the yacht overlooking the moon’s reflection on the dark water. Mal and Evie come up to join him, sandwiching their king between the two of them. “Stop being broody,” Mal says. “It’s a party.”

“I’m just counting my blessings,” he says. “I count two.”

“Sap,” Evie laughs, elbowing him lightly in the side.

He puts his arms around the girls he loves. “It’s good to be the king.” 

“Alright, don’t get too cocky there, Bennyboo,” Mal jibes, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

“I’m not,” he says sincerely. “I know exactly how lucky I am.” 

The music plays on. 


End file.
